ODJ: Treasure in My Heart

October 20, 2018 

READ: Psalm 119:9-16 

I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways (v.15).

After reading an encouraging and inspiring passage from the Old Testament, I suddenly felt the urge to praise God. Finding myself bursting into worship was a beautiful, unexpected experience. Although my problems weren’t suddenly solved, I felt an immense peace and confidence in God’s presence with me.

The writer of Psalm 119 must have experienced similar emotions and thoughts when he wrote, “I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches. I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word” (vv.14-16). Regardless of our wealth, status, or age, all us can delight in meditating on Scripture. As the psalmist wrote, followers of Christ can “stay pure . . . by obeying [God’s] word” (v.9).

Psalm 119 highlights knowing God deeper through soaking in His truth from the Torah—the first five books of our current Bibles—by reading it out loud, studying it, meditating on it and memorising it (vv.13-16).

All of these practices are a way to, as the psalm puts it, hide God’s word in our hearts (v.11)—which the Amplified Bible translates as “treasured and stored in my heart”. Sin separates us from God, while drawing near to God through Scripture helps break sin’s hold in our lives. But we can’t know God by our own efforts, so the psalm asks God to direct our spiritual growth, to “teach me your decrees” and “don’t let me wander from your commands” (vv.10,12).

Today, we have both the Old and New Testament books as inspired Scripture to read and meditate on. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, may we come to know God more and more as we seek the wisdom found in Scripture.

—Estera Pirosca Escobar

365-day plan: Acts 9:1-19